If you are looking for the best Jalapeño Poppers to serve this tailgate season, then you might want to try my jalapeno poppers recipe. A stuffed jalapeno recipe that’s delicious, not as spicy as it looks, loaded with extra protein from ground American Lamb toping and just so addictively satisfying to eat!
You really can make this recipe as a main dish on a lazy day, but I absolutely LOVE them on game day! It’s a real crowd pleaser and I can’t wait for you to try it! Oh, and video is included below in case you’re rushed on reading all the details 🙂
Why Jalapeno Poppers?
This dish is definitely for those who like a bit of spice in their food, since we’re stuffing jalapeno peppers. But you have absolute control on how spicy you make it.
The lamb is what sets this recipe apart. If you’ve been reading my website for a while, by now you know I live for good lamb recipes! And you definitely know, American Lamb captured my heart!
There’s nothing like American lamb when it comes to quality, taste and freshness. So don’t compromise! Especially when you’ll be marinating, roasting and enjoying lamb with company. Make sure you ask for American lamb before buying, I always do that!
When it comes to the jalapeños, there are a few things to tame down the spice (or elevate it). When you start by removing the seeds from the peppers, you eliminate the really spicy part of the jalapeno.
Here you can remove it entirely or partially, depending on how spicy you want the pepper to be.
The cream cheese filling cools down the spice as well. And finally, the nachos topping I use for serving also cool down the heat.
In brief, you will love this recipe, whether a spice lover or not!
You can easily bake these jalapeno peppers or even cook them in the air fryer, it’s totally up to you.
This poppers recipe is also one you can easily make ahead if you’re short on time.
More traditionally this recipe uses bacon wrapped around the Jalapenos, but today I’ve used American minced lamb. The combo is out of this world!
Why American Lamb?
Without a doubt, my favorite lamb is American lamb. It’s raised with high standards and it’s raised with so much LOVE!
So many families put their hearts out on their land daily to grow their sheep with sustainability. Because of this, you’ll find fresh American lamb available all year long. Supporting them is the least we can do.
Plus I can’t tell you how many people have steered away from lamb, until I urged them to try American lamb. YES, it tastes different! Because it’s fresh, pasture grazed and grain finished. This is why it tastes sweet and buttery!
How to Make Jalapeno Poppers
What you need to make Jalapeno Poppers
Making this poppers recipe is really straightforward. You don’t need any special ingredients, you can find all the ingredients at your local store.
You will need quality ground lamb – always use American lamb! I can’t urge you enough to use American lamb exclusively! The spice for the lamb is pretty simple, and to that I sauté onions for an extra level of flavor.
The cream cheese mixture ingredients is : cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro and spice.
Jalapenos, you’ll need lots of those! It’s best to pick large size jalapeños for this recipe so that they can handle the filling well enough.
Toppings are optional! Those American lamb jalapeño poppers are seriously SO GOOD as they are! Now just for the sake of tailgating and the love of nachos, these became something like jalapeño popper nachos 🙂
Making Jalapeno Poppers
To start this poppers recipe I always pre-cook the minced American lamb so it’s ready before I start the rest of the dish.
To do this, sweat your chopped red onion until soft in a skillet with saturated fat like olive oil, then add in the American mince with seasoning.
Once the mince is fully cooked*, stir in the fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley) and set that aside so you prepare the rest of the recipe. *USDA recommends cooking ground lamb to 160 degrees.
Next prepare your Jalapeno peppers by cutting them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. You can easily remove the seeds and membranes by scraping them out with a spoon. They should come away quite easily.
This is where all the heat is! Remove it entirely for a mild spice or partially remove them for a spicier tasting pepper.
It’s important that they are cut in half lengthwise, and not across, as you won’t get the same effect and they won’t cook as well.
It’s a good idea to do this part while wearing gloves to protect your hands from the spice in the seeds. It can hurt if you accidentally touch your eyes after handling them.
Now, you need to make your creamy filling. In a bowl combine your cream cheese, salt and pepper, garlic salt, spices, cilantro, scallions, and cheddar cheese.
Blend everything until evenly mixed through. Then spoon this filling into the hollowed jalapeno peppers.
You can add the filling to the peppers as they are or you can pre-cook the peppers a little before adding the filling. It depends on whether you like your peppers really soft or not.
Once you’ve filled up the peppers with the cream cheese filling, it’s time to add the toppings. Generously sprinkle the top with your cooked minced American lamb and then add a good amount of cheddar cheese on top of this and it’s time to cook it.
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
This is probably the most popular way to cook stuffed peppers. It’s super easy to preheat the oven and put them in for up to 15 minutes (maybe a little less depending on your oven so you need to keep checking them).
The best temperature to bake these poppers is about 400 degrees F. You should take them out when the cheese has nicely melted and is browning on top.
Alternatively, you can also use your air fryer to this poppers recipe if you prefer. They come out really nicely this way too.
Serving Jalapeno Poppers
Depending on preference, you can serve and eat these jalapeno peppers just as they are, straight out of the oven or you can add a few toppings.
Nacho toppings, such as sliced black olives, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and a squeeze of lime, go really well with this recipe. Adding some toasted bread crumbs is also a lovely addition to bring in some further texture.
So now you can see you can really impress with this popper’s recipe. Full of flavor and exciting to eat, this simple yet delicious recipe can easily become everyone’s favorite.
Recipe Tips
- Use American Lamb to really taste the difference! And don’t skimp on the lamb topping!
- You can prepare the lamb mixture fully cooked ahead of time. Store the lamb in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Make extra of the lamb mixture and use it endlessly! More recipes and uses below!
- Pick larger size jalapeños for this recipe. They can handle more filling and are easier to work with.
- If you want to make this recipe less spicy, just make sure you remove ALL the seeds and membranes from the insides of the jalapeño.
- It’s best to wear gloves if you’re new to working with hot peppers.
- The filling ingredients can be made spicier by adding chilli flakes if you want a really spicy popper recipe!
- The jalapeño poppers are ready as soon as the cheese melts and the peppers soften up a bit.
- Serve these as is for a delicious appetizer or add some nachos toppings for a crowd pleasing and unique nachos!
- Leftover Jalapeno Poppers can be stored in the fridge for upto 3 days and reheated in the oven or served cold for lunch with a salad.
- To freeze jalapeno poppers: prepare the poppers, stuff them and freeze them on the baking sheet. Bake them on the day of serving and increase baking time by 4-6 minutes.
- To freeze baked and ready poppers, simply freeze leftovers and reheat them in the oven for 5 minutes.
Lamb Recipes
Cheesy Pull Apart Bread with Lamb Crumbles
Cheese Fondue with Lamb Dippers
Smashed Potatoes With Spicy Lamb
Air Fryer Lamb Chops with Poblano Sauce
American Lamb Meatball Subs On The Grill
Game Day Mini Turkish Pizza Party
Spicy Harissa Lamb Shoulder Chunks in Pita Cones with Tahini Sauce
Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
Lamb:
- 1 pound American Lamb
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 red onion finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder regular or spicy
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
Cream cheese Filling
- 4 ounce cream cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/8 teaspoon salt pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
Jalapeños
- 10 large jalapeños sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Toppings: (optional)
- Avocado
- Tomatoes
- Sour cream
- Green onions
- Black olives sliced
- More cilantro
Instructions
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Start by making the lamb mixture.
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Preheat a heavy skillet over medium Hugh heat and add the oil.
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Start cooking the onions until they’re soft.
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Add in the American lamb.
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Season the lamb with all the spice blend above and cook with onions over medium high heat.
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Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently until the lamb is cooked.
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USDA recommends cooking ground lamb to 160 degrees.
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Turn off the heat and finish off with cilantro.
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Set aside.
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In a large bowl, mix all the cream cheese filling ingredients and blend well.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet, cut side up.
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Fill each jalapeño half with a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture.
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Top that with a tablespoon of the lamb mixture.
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Finish off with more shredded cheddar cheese.
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Bake the jalapeño poppers for 16-20 minutes (depending on the size of your peppers)
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Remove from the oven.
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Serve on a cutting board with your favorite toppings, or serve as is!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Tips
- Use American Lamb to really taste the difference! And don’t skimp on the lamb topping!
- You can prepare the lamb mixture fully cooked ahead of time. Store the lamb in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Make extra of the lamb mixture and use it endlessly! More recipes and uses below!
- Pick larger size jalapeños for this recipe. They can handle more filling and are easier to work with.
- If you want to make this recipe less spicy, just make sure you remove ALL the seeds and membranes from the insides of the jalapeño.
- It’s best to wear gloves if you’re new to working with hot peppers.
- The filling ingredients can be made spicier by adding chilli flakes if you want a really spicy popper recipe!
- The jalapeño poppers are ready as soon as the cheese melts and the peppers soften up a bit.
- Serve these as is for a delicious appetizer or add some nachos toppings for a crowd pleasing and unique nachos!
- Leftover Jalapeno Poppers can be stored in the fridge for upto 3 days and reheated in the oven or served cold for lunch with a salad.
- To freeze jalapeno poppers: prepare the poppers, stuff them and freeze them on the baking sheet. Bake them on the day of serving and increase baking time by 4-6 minutes.
- To freeze baked and ready poppers, simply freeze leftovers and reheat them in the oven for 5 minutes.
Beth Sachs
That lamb topping really makes these jalapeno poppers! Delicious recipe.
Gina
This is totally my kind of appetizer! Love the lamb filing and of course the spice from the jalapenos!
Savita
Looks amazing and extremely tempting.
Kay
The perfect sharing plate, the family loved these Jalapeno Poppers when everyone was over watching the football with a few beers 🙂
Thanks for sharing !!
Tavo
Really nice and original recipe! We loved them! I surprised my Mexican friend with it, and he loved it!